IG Condemns VA Conferences

Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Office of Inspector General (IG)
released a report this week indicating a lack of oversight by senior VA
officials regarding two training conferences for VA employees in 2011.
The investigation of conferences in Orlando, Fla., where more than 1,800 VA
employees were in attendance, concluded that Assistant Secretary for
Human Resources and Administration John Sepulveda, who recently
resigned, “abdicated his oversight responsibilities resulting in
numerous examples of excessive costs and unnecessary
expenditures.”

Rep. Jeff Miller
(Fla.), chairman of the House
Veterans Affairs Committee, and Chairwoman of the Senate VA Committee
Patty Murray (Wash.) condemned
the wasteful spending and called for better oversight. The VA announced
it has taken immediate action to address the issues outlined in the IG
report to strengthen oversight and improve
accountability.